Clash of Ages
by Allora Silverfield
Summary: In a medieval era, a new war looms on the horizon. Cameron and friends struggle with peers and inner turmoil as induction into the military is imminent for their training class. Legendary pokemon are disappearing, and it's clear that something bigger stirs under the false blanket of harmony. Soon, the whole world will be thrown into chaos. Will you be there to see it through?
1. Chapter 1

Loyal Readers,

I promise I'm not done with Allora Silverfield, or my other stories for that matter. I'm just ⅔ of the way through my first novel, and my writing time has gone solely to that. However, I am having some writer's block, and need to write something fun and stress free to get my creativity flowing again. So I turned back to fanfiction, but not to anything I've already started on. I want something new, where I can do whatever I feel like and not worry about the restrictions of the world I've already set up in my other stories.

I know I know, I'm a serial writer, who starts story after story but never finishes them. That's why I'm so dedicated to actually finishing my novel. I promise, I will be eventually finishing those I've started on here too. But no longer will I set time frames for myself, for that only breeds disappointment in my fans. I hope you enjoy what I've written for you here, and thanks to those who have been following me since the beginning. It's been almost 7 years now since I started writing fanfiction, and my writing has certainly improved since then.

Here goes nothing.

* * *

 _This story will contain pokemon from generations 1-3, a bit of nostalgia for older fans. It will also contain any evolutions or baby pokemon stemming from the first 3 generations, for example, roserade from roselia, and budew as well. Mega evolutions are also fair game, but as previously stated, only from the first 3 generations. Hold onto your hats._

* * *

 **In the beginning, the earth, a ravaged wasteland of rocky nothing, without life, without meaning; without. From the heavens descended a ball of light, a pokemon, the first. Mew appeared, landing in the dust, void of beauty, void of color. Lonely, she traveled the earth, looking for a sign, any sign, of others.**

 **Realizing she was alone, she created her friends. First was Groudon, ruler of the earth, master of land. For him, she created Kyogre, beast of the sea, so they might balance each other, and find companionship. Water poured from the skies, and as they met, there was instant strife. At that moment, the two began a mighty clash. Mew had expected peace and harmony, but the two tyrants raged in war, a constant battle for influence. Tsunamis cascaded over the land, and volcanoes erupted behind them, creating islands, and destroying them shortly after. Over and over the cycle continued.**

 **Mew continued to create new friends, but each seemed to war with the other, their natures unable to come to any agreement. She created the birds of fire, ice, and lightning, each masters of their own element, but still always at odds. She created two more birds to rule over them, Ho-oh and Lugia, but even they took sides. From the ground she created the golems of ice, steel, and rock. At least they didn't fight, but hid themselves away in the earth, unwilling to take sides in the wars around them.**

 **Finally, Mew was tired. One thousand years had passed, and though nature though its imbalance had created beautiful things, it continued to destroy itself. Into the forest she went, saddened by the anger of those around her. A single tear fell from her eye, and landed on an onion sprout. It began to glow, and from the ground rose Celebi, the guardian of the forest. Celebi saw how Mew was sad, and picked for her a lily from a nearby patch of grass. It was then, that Mew had a friend.**

 **Together they collaborated, for days, weeks, on how to end the wars ravaging the land. The forest stayed hidden and protected by their combined psychic powers. Until, finally, they had their answer. A dragon, said Celebi, will stop the fighting. A dragon, Mew agreed, the first of its kind. And so, from the green mossy earth, and clouds of the sky, they created the serpent of air, Rayquaza.**

 **Go, said they, end the fighting. And he did. With his mighty roar, he took to the skies, confronting the two original titans and quelling them with his aura.**

 **End this, said he. And they did.**

 **To the birds of fire, ice, and lightning, he went next. He separated them, and gave them their own islands each.**

 **End this, said he. And they did. To the titan birds of the tides and sun, he went. He recognized their power, and allowed them to become his equals, on one condition.**

 **End this, said he. And they did.**

 **And so, the world was harmonious at last. Life flourished, and slowly more and more pokemon began to emerge. But they too, felt something was missing. Mew noticed, and felt their sadness. Rayquaza, Lugia, and Ho-oh too, felt something was missing. The pokemon, they needed partners. And the legendary pokemon, they needed subjects. And so, with Celebi once more, Mew created one last life form. They created humans.**

 **They scattered them across the world, and helped them build their first ancient civilizations. And, once this had been done. Mew was at last satisfied. Finally, the world was complete. Everyone had friends. Everything was whole. Finally, she could relax. In a rose hued bubble, she sank into the sea, resting until she would be needed again. To Celebi, she gave the ability to travel through time, hoping that might be enough to prevent the world's destruction while she was gone.**

 **Shortly after Mew entered hibernation, things became tense once more. Humanity was different from the pokemon, their intentions not always pure. While the world was complete, they too began to have conflict. They split into factions, kingdoms, and warred with each other, their pokemon fighting as well. The legendary pokemon, at first, refused to take sides, remembering the chaos of the world at its beginning. But, it soon became unbearable to not take interest in the humans that worshipped them.**

 **This moment, this era, is where our story begins.**

* * *

General Reice had orders. Orders from the king himself. It was his first mission as captain, and he was going to follow through no matter what. The clash with Vale Kingdom had grown from a couple skirmishes into a full blown war. But the king was fine with that, he had a secret weapon, he had said. A weapon to help them easily end the war. He was fine with war really, he had said, since he knew they would win. And, to the king, a few lives lost was a small price to pay for victory.

The general replayed these words in his mind as they laid siege to the Island of Fire. They had pinpointed its location off the coast several years ago, and the king had carefully laid out plans to capture the legendary bird of flames. General Reice had been Captain Reice at the time, but had been involved in the planning process since the beginning. With enough water pokemon under their command, and the war looming on the horizon, he had been given orders to capture Moltres in the newest style pokemon capsules. The first capsules had been developed only 20 years prior, but since that time, it was the preferred way to keep pokemon nearby, instead of having them follow you around and take up space. Plus, it now meant that water pokemon could be taken across land, which was an essential component to their plan.

"Go, Gyarados," he said, tossing his capsule into the ocean. The mighty sea dragon rose from the water, towering over his troops. They had just landed on the island, boats and bird pokemon being the preferred way to travel. Now, his soldiers were calling out their water pokemon. Of course, land based water pokemon were preferred, as they could maneuver themselves out of water as well as underwater. But, the plan was to draw Moltres out into vulnerable territory, and gyarados was their most powerful pokemon, trusted to Reice only.

"Hydro pump!" he ordered. Gyarados roared, rearing his head back, and firing a powerful jet of water at the volcano. The other water pokemon followed suit, as the soldiers ordered a mass hydro pump. The volcano, in its state of constant eruption, began to cool. Slowly but surely, the lava cascading down the mountain turned to rock, and the flow of molten earth came to a halt. After several minutes of firing, General Reice held up his fist. The assault stopped, and they waited for a response.

It didn't take long. An explosion of fire rocked the earth, and the volcano seemed to erupt once more. A blast of flame burst from its peak, and from the fires emerged Moltres in all his glory. He flapped his mighty wings of flame, and soared towards the earth. "Who dares," he cried. "Who dares interrupt my work?" He noticed the humans on the beach, gathered below and cowering in his presence. Humans. He had never cared for them anyway. "You will not leave this place!"

"Open fire!" cried the general, a little more shrill than he had liked. He honestly hadn't expected Moltres to show his face so soon, and the sight of the legendary pokemon was both awe inspiring, and terrifying. Water filled the air, as Moltres flew high above them, proud and cocky.

The water, the higher it went, lost its power and succumbed to gravity, and began to cascade back to the ground as rain, drenching the squadron and the general himself. Moltres cawed with laughter, jeering at their efforts. "Foolish," he said to himself. Timing it just right, he dove between the hydro pumps and unleashed a tornado of flames onto the ground. Instantly, he scorched the earth and everyone beneath him, taking out nearly a third of the soldiers in one swoop.

"Gyarados!" barked General Reice as Moltres came swooping down. "Now!" He had waited for this moment, setting his plan in motion. The water raining from the sky had slowed the bird of fire just enough for it to work. Gyarados swung his powerful tail up from the ocean floor, carrying with it literal tons of water into the sky. The water was aimed above Moltres, not at him, and began to fall in a typhoon of rain. "Brace yourselves!"

The water felt like a hammer coming down, pelting the soldiers and the water pokemon. It happened just as Moltres was beginning his ascent once more, and it extinguished completely the flames on his wings. Without his fiery feathers, Moltres toppled to the ground, where the water pokemon began their assault. They covered him in water, so his flames could not reignite, and continued to do this as General Reice began approaching the legendary bird.

He felt sorry for the pokemon as he got nearer. He held up his fist again, signalling them to stop, and Moltres laid immobile even after they paused. He neared his head, kneeling down on the ground to look him in the eye.

"What… do you… want," breathed the fire type. He was breathing shallow, eyes squinted.

Reice stared him in the eyes. "You will aid the Kingdom of Luma in their fight against Vale. We can heal you, you can help us, and we'll send you back on your way." He frowned. "Or, I will kill you."

"You… no one can kill me…" wheezed Moltres. He attempted to lift his wing, struggled for a moment, and then dropped it back on the mud, defeated.

Reice reached for his belt, drawing a long katana, slowly, for emphasis. He leveled it over Moltres's neck. "Are you so sure?" He lowered the blade slowly, touching the bird pokemon's neck with its cold metal. A thin red line appeared on his skin as the blade rested, so sharp that it cut skin without needing pressure.

"Wait! No, wait…" Moltres was wide eyed, never having come face to face with death before, not even in his clashes with the other birds. "I… I submit. I will help you."

"Good," said Reice, feeling relieved. He pulled out a pokemon capsule, the strongest one they had created so far. Normally, inside the capsules, a bright white soul gem rested, absorbing the pokemon's entire body and essence. This gem, however, was deep purple and blue. Made from a new material, said to bend the will of even the most defiant pokemon. He pressed the capsule to Moltres's skin and a black light emerged, encasing the fire pokemon and dissolving his body into the capsule. It latched, and there was no struggle.

Reice felt an overwhelming pride come over him. A… viciousness almost. _It's mine…_ he thought. He smiled greedily, raising the capsule into the air, and basking in the roars and cheering of his men.

"We've done it!" he cried into the air, shaking the foundation of all he had known. He had been the first, the only, to do the impossible. He had captured a legendary pokemon. The power he felt… He smiled to himself.

 _And this is only the first…_

* * *

"Cam! If I have to tell you to keep your knees bent one more time, you'll be doing lunges across the field until you can't straighten them anymore!"

Cameron heard the sergeant's voice like a shriek right beside them, and it was just distracting enough for his partner's sword to come whacking into his side. Even though they were only using weighted rods instead of steel, it still hurt like hell.

"Oof!" Onto the ground. For a moment, the world wouldn't stop spinning, and the summer heat scorched down above them. Standing again once more, Cameron readied the heavy wooden stick they'd all been given. _Maybe I'd keep my legs bent if you'd stop screaming…_

"That's it, everyone _stop!_ " roared Sergeant Ulsyr. The young group of privates slowly stopped sparring, sweating and panting. They had been at it for hours, in the practice field outside the barracks. Not only was it the end of summer, but they were stationed in the southernmost fiefdom in Vale. "Thanks to Cam here, I've changed my mind. Instead of _him_ doing lunges, he gets to watch, while everyone _else_ does them for him!"

Loud groans echoed across the field as everyone stared at their classmate. Cameron's face instantly turned red. "C'mon man," said Jake, who had been sparring with Cam last. He sighed, offering a hand to help. "Second time this week."

Cam sighed, grabbing Jake's hand and standing. The displeasure in the field was palpable. All of the other students reluctantly dropped their sparring swords to the ground and began doing lunges across the dirt. Every time they passed Cameron, they shot dirty looks. "Why are you even still here!" called one student, answered by snickers from several other students. Cam looked on, humiliated, forced to stand beside the sergeant until he decided to let them stop for the night. Everyone headed into the mess hall, with Cam bringing up the rear, head down, staring at the floor.

* * *

Late that night, Cameron slipped on a pair of old boots like always. The boots had worn out soles, perfect for sneaking out of the dorm, since they were softer on the bottom, and quiet. At this point, no one was better at being silent and staying under the radar than Cam. Well, except for these last few weeks, when it seemed like Sergeant Ulsyr was on a war path. Sighing silently and trying to bury those kinds of thoughts, Cameron slipped out into the open.

Moonlight lit a path out of the dormitory into the woods, where in the warm summer night, the creek was waiting. The small stream dipped its way through the forest, heated by underground geysers at all times of the year. It was perfect, the only place where Cameron could get any privacy. Privacy that was desperately needed.

After a short hike, the creek was finally in sight. Cameron looked around, and then carefully removed the loose shirt given to all of the privates to sleep in, and then removed the tight athletic tape constricting the chest, to reveal herself as a woman. To no one of course, but herself, and the pokemon in the night. The pokemon knew to expect her now, as she had been sneaking out of the dorms since she joined the military at age 15. This was the only place she could bathe in comfort and privacy. No one could know her true identity, if they did… Well, it was illegal for women to fight in the army. She would surely be arrested.

She could finally breathe, letting her chest expand fully with deep gulps of air. She hadn't needed to wear the tape until about a year ago, just after she turned 17. She started to notice her chest growing, and panicked slightly. She had to sneak into the hospital ward to steal the stretchy fabric they used to wrap joints. It was no big deal, sneaking around in the hospital wing was her specialty now. She had to do it at least once per month to take some of the absorbent fabric they used to stop cuts from bleeding out. She used them to stop a different kind of bleeding though.

The pokemon slowly began to come out of the woods to greet her. All of the usuals were there. The nocturnal pokemon in the area looked forward to her nearly nightly visits. Her favorites were the poocheyena, a group of seven pups had just been born a few months ago to a mighteyena alpha female whose pack had territory completely surrounding the barracks. Cameron remembered when she too had just been a poocheyena pup. She specifically brought her pups to the creek every night to play with her, and Cameron always looked forward to it.

"Goodness!" she cried, as a ball of puppies tackled her into the water. They wrestled with her for a while, and then went off on their own, splashing around in the water like no one was watching. Cam eventually got out, sitting on a smooth rock with her feet in the water. Letting the rest of her body dry, and taking a few more deep breaths before she had to wrap her chest again. She had to get back early, she wasn't going to take the chance of getting found out now. Not while she was in hot water with the rest of her class. And not in her graduation year.

Herself and her peers had all just turned 18, the required age to own a military grade pokemon. The military provided their troops with their first pokemon capsule, a special device used to capture pokemon. You were given a capsule, and then the ability to choose from a standard set of pokemon provided each year. The species changed slightly with each class, depending on the needs of the kingdom. And, since Vale had just gone to war with Luma, she knew the choices would be stronger than any previous class's had been.

She finally stood, preparing herself once more to head back to the dorm. She tousled her hair, always feeling the need to check and make sure it was short enough for her to pass as a boy. It was still short as ever, thick and chocolate brown. The more plain she looked, the better. She had even started to talk with a lower voice, to imitate the other boys that were going through puberty.

When she was ready, she slipped on her quiet boots, and started back towards the dorms. When she left the forest, she made sure to stay in shadow, creeping to the edge of the long stone building, and sneaking to the front door. When she was sure no one was watching, she slipped into the room, snuck into her bed, and fell immediately asleep.

* * *

The rest of the week passed like any other. She made sure to keep her voice low, keep her knees bent, and stopped drawing attention to herself. She ate with her small group of friends at the same table in the mess hall as always. There was Taylor, a tall, skinny boy who had sprouted like a beanstalk over the summer, growing nearly a foot. Yet, his voice still hadn't changed all the way. So, while he was the tallest of all the privates, his voice was also one of the highest. It cracked constantly, and he used to be self conscious about it, but now just laughed along with everyone else.

Faust also sat with them. He was quiet, average height, with medium length black hair. Sergeant Ulsyr told him constantly; "Don't get too attached to that hair, boy. As soon as you're officially inducted into the military, they'll be chopping it all off." Nevertheless, he kept it as long as they would let him, and it covered his eyes most of the time.

And then there was Jake. He had dark, chocolate brown skin, and a winning gold-star smile. He kept his hair buzzed, so he was essentially bald. He was one of the better fighters in their class, and Cameron had noticed this as soon as she had met him. She kept him close by from the moment she first joined the training program three years ago, knowing that his status as a people pleasing teacher's pet would help keep her out of trouble.

"Choosing ceremony is next week," said Taylor, shoveling a bite of food into his mouth. He ate more than the other three of them combined, yet never seemed to put on any weight. "What do you think the choices are gonna be?"

Faust looked up, putting on a face so he looked bored. "Probably nothing special," he said, dismissive.

Jake, however, looked excited. "No way," he said, grinning. "I hear Luma has some secret weapon in the war. So they're gonna give us the strongest pokemon they can get away with. They'll probably even give us an extra capsule to capture another one right away!"

Faust let a small smile creep on his face. "Maybe," he said, slightly excited too. It was the buzz in the building, the choosing ceremony. Everyone was speculating, and wilder and wilder rumors were getting spread.

By the end of the week, some were even convinced that Vale's military had created artificial pokemon to hand out. Others thought that they would be receiving baby forms of legendary pokemon. But Cameron wasn't going to get her hopes up. Instead of speculating on the choosing ceremony, she was spending extra time alone, practicing her swordsmanship with dummies in the courtyard, and running extra miles in preparation for their coming test.

There was always a physical and mental exam before choosing, and the order that students got to choose their pokemon depended on how well they did on that exam. And Cameron knew that the extra time she was spending practicing and studying was being noticed, by her teachers, and even the sergeant. She didn't want another episode like the week prior, and she definitely didn't want to make any more enemies in her class. Some of her classmates had never grown to like her, as she was the weakest link for almost a year when she first joined the training unit. It took months of intense training to bring herself up to the level of her classmates, but even then she was still viewed as one of the weaker soldiers, even though no one knew she was female.

Some students would even celebrate any time she messed up and got called out over it. "I don't even know why you're still here," was one of their favorites. She couldn't even count the number of times she had been told to quit and go home by her peers. She was in the top of the class in academics, but that wasn't what most cared about. Since she was barely average in the physical tests, the competitions that everyone cared about, and even then she was struggling to keep her head above water. But she wasn't going to quit. Not now. She was so close.

That's why it was such a shock when, for the first time since she had started her training, she defeated Isaiah in a wrestling match. Onlookers were shocked. Isaiah was a notorious bully, proud of his skill and not afraid to show it. He was always one of the first to mock anyone who floundered during practice, constantly talking others down to make himself feel like he was better than them. It was well known his dismissal of Cameron, and he was equally as baffled when she pinned him to the ground for not just three, but five seconds during their match.

"And, that's the match!" called their physical fitness instructor, Captain Damien. "Cam won!" He was genuinely excited, and it caught on pretty quickly with the rest of the onlookers. People were clapping and cheering, and Cameron was even excited until she made eye contact with Isaiah. He had murder written on his face. She froze then, knowing she had really messed up. The last thing she had wanted to do was make an enemy right before the exam, and she had done just that.

He stood, without saying a word, and marched out of the ring, shoving aside a couple boys who were standing in his way. Cameron looked on as he walked, eyes wide, her thoughts buzzing around in her head so loud that she could barely hear the congratulations that her friends were giving her. He was going to try something… What if he followed her to the creek one night… What if he sabotaged her during the exam...

"Cam?" Jake's face was right in front of hers, concerned. "Man that was awesome! Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said, distracted. "I don't think Isaiah likes losing very much though."

"Oh, he'll get over it," Jake said, looking over to where he had stormed off. "He's lost before."

"Not to me…" she said quietly. In a faded blur, Jake, Taylor, and Faust along with the rest of the onlookers ushered her inside to the mess hall for a mini celebration. For a while, she could forget that look on Isaiah's face. But not for long.


	2. Chapter 2

**The avian titan Ho-oh once took pity upon a trio of pokemon, trapped in a burning tower. The pokemon had gotten lost, and when the lightning struck the tower they were unable to find their way out. Flames blazed around them, and wooden beams fell in piles of molten ash, blocking their paths.**

 **Vaporeon, the oldest, thought he could get them out of there with his water type abilities. But the scorching heat dried his skin and evaporated his energy, leaving him weak.**

 **Jolteon, the middle sibling, thought he could get them out with his lightning quick speed. He bolted and dashed around, desperately searching for a way out through the flames. But all of their paths were blocked.**

 **And Flareon, the youngest, sat and wept, for he knew that his fiery nature would only worsen their situation, only hurting his brothers. He stood in front of them, to shield them from the heat, but even he was weakening in the blaze.**

 **The fire began to consume them, but suddenly the flames turned silver, giving off a soft cool glow instead of their raging inferno. "I have seen your struggle," said the voice of Ho-oh. The three pokemon bowed instantly, knowing that it was only due to the mercy of the titan that they had been saved. "Now, with this gift of an extended life, I give you yet another."**

 **And Ho-oh appeared to them then, in his rainbow majesty. He bestowed on them a sacred fire, engulfing each of them and changing their forms. To them, he spoke:**

" **You, Vaporeon, the protective one, shall become Suicune, guardian of the lakes. You will protect and purify the waters of the land, eliminating defilers in all corners of your reign."**

" **You, Jolteon, faster than lightning, shall become Raiku, bringer of storms. You shall demand others to respect and honor nature, and through its might you will remind them of the destruction it may wrought."**

" **And you, Flareon, kind yet fierce, shall become Entei, lord of volcanoes and lava. From your power to destroy, you will also create. Bring islands from the sea with your mighty roar, and cleanse the land of its sins."**

 **And so, from the ashes, merged the three legendary dogs of nature, and out they went into the world, to bring balance upon it and remind human kind of the delicate balance of nature that must be preserved.**

* * *

Cam awoke on the day of the exam early, too nervous to stay asleep. The past week had been a blur of hard work and anxiety, as around every corner she waited for Isaiah to make a move on her. But he had done nothing, and in the act of doing nothing, it almost made things worse. She wished he would just get it over with, but he liked the psychological aspect of making her guess. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.

She shook her head, sitting up quietly in bed. She couldn't let that get to her today, of all days. Today was to be one of the most important days of her life. She pulled on her favorite pair of pants, strapped on her pair of boots with the soft worn soles, checked carefully to make sure her breasts were tightly bound, and made her way out into the courtyard.

The test had three parts. There was a mental exam, a cumulative final of what they had learned from the start of their training three years ago. Then there was a physical exam, in which they would run in timed increments, lift weights, and spar. And then, there was a pokemon battle. This was something they had hardly touched on, and was mostly to gauge each private's natural ability to work with a pokemon.

She calmly stretched in the morning chill, warming her muscles, until she noticed her classmates waking up. Together, they headed to the mess hall, a feast prepared for them as was tradition on exam day. She ate with her usual group; Jake, Taylor, and Faust, each of them quieter than normal, which was quite the feat for Faust anyway. He hardly spoke in the first place. Today he said not a word.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Isaiah whispering to some of his little friends, pointing in her direction and snickering. This normally would have worried her immensely, but this had been his demeanor for the last week or so. It was nothing new. And so, despite the aire of the room, Cam felt good. She was confident in her abilities, and knew the mental exam would boost that confidence even more.

And she was right. There couldn't have been an easier test for her. It was as if the material she had studied had come directly from the test questions. She was the first one to finish by a mile, and had extra time to go outside and warm up for the physical exam.

She placed somewhere in the middle for the timed run. This was something she had expected though. She had only hoped to not place last, or close to last, and she had easily achieved that goal. Later she found that out of 86 students, she got 28th place. Closer to first than last, and this was a silent victory in her mind.

Even in sparring she did better than she had hoped. She won her first match, and lost her second. But she was glad, she had only been shooting to win one of them, knowing it was a long shot that she might win both. So she gave 110% in her first fight, to assure the win. But after she won, she was completely exhausted, and was easily defeated in her second match. She took a short break before moving on to the rest of the events, careful not to overexert herself like that again.

She placed similarly in the other trials. Weightlifting she was 37th place, and in the obstacle course she placed 19th. This was probably because she was smaller than a lot of the other privates, and could squeeze more easily through sections that they likely couldn't.

Jake of course was making top marks. He didn't get first place until the obstacle course, and Cam was among the first to congratulate him. " _That's_ what we've been working for!" she said, running up right to him after crossing the finish line.

He grinned, slapping her on the back. "I knew it was going to be this one," he said, less out of breath than she was, since he had been done for nearly a minute longer than Cam. "I felt it! After getting second in the timed run, I wasn't going to let anyone beat me!"

Cam grinned, nodding, and watching with Jake for Faust and Taylor to cross the line. Both of them did within the next minute, and they began to clear out of the courtyard towards the mess hall once more, buzzing with excitement.

"Do you think they'll let us use pokemon from the choosing?" Taylor asked, speculating. He was panting hard, holding his arms above his head.

"Probably not," gasped Faust, brushing his sweaty long hair from his eyes. "From what I've heard, they usually let you battle with well trained, high level pokemon, so they can truly gauge your battle style, undeterred by the battling level of the pokemon itself."

Jake pointed a thumb over at Faust. "Yeah, what he said." The four of them laughed together, feeling as if they were walking on air with excitement for the coming battles.

Cam was especially excited. She knew that the others had battled pokemon before, as young kids, but she never had. Before she ran away from home, she had worked alongside her mother as a healer, with pokemon that are hardly used for battle at all. Chansey, bellossom, and miltank were those she worked most closely with. So she was quite experienced with healers and healing moves, but not so much with damage dealers. This, she knew, put her at a slight disadvantage.

She shook her head. That was the wrong mentality. All she could hope to do was her best, and she planned on it.

* * *

The instructors had set up the courtyard during lunch into a series of small battlefields, 14 in total. This allowed 28 students to battle at once.

"Each student," spoke Sergeant Ulsyr, standing in front of the mob of students. Everyone was silent, tense with anticipation. "Will participate in at least four battles. Some of you may participate in more, but only your best four will count towards your score." Words buzzed throughout the crowd, a whisper that rose and fell like a wave. "You have each been assigned two random pokemon by your quartermaster." Each of the four dorms had a quartermaster who managed the living quarters. They also were the ones who got to know the students and their personalities the best.

"These pokemon are fully evolved, well trained, and ready to go. There are a total of 36 different pokemon that might be given to you; two of each type are represented. Your battle partners have also been carefully chosen. You will battle one person with a significant type advantage, one person with a significant type disadvantage, and two even matches. Does that make sense?" Someone in the crowd of students hooted loudly, and everyone started cheering. The excitement was palpable. "Excellent."

The quartermasters came around then and passed out little labeled bags with pokemon capsules in them. "Once you have your pokemon, we will be giving you all 30 minutes or so to get to know your temporary friends. After that, we will start the battles. The first group of battlers will be…" And he began listing off student's names. Cam listened carefully for her name, and heard it right at the end.

"Cameron Rokswing, and Kyle Patterson!" roared Ulsyr over the noise of the excited crowd. Some students had already received their pokemon and were releasing them, multiplying the noise level immensely. After she heard her name, she tuned out everything else, searching for her quartermaster with anticipation.

"Cam!"

She ran head-first into Ike, her dorm's quartermaster. "Watch out there, bud," he said, pushing a small bag into her hands. "Here, be more careful, please." Shaking his head, Ike headed the other direction, searching for the rest of the students he had left.

She didn't realize how badly her hands were trembling until she tried to untie the string to open the small, leather bag she had been given. It felt like she was going to drop it, even though the rough material was easy to hold on to. Finally, she undid the knot, and shook out the capsules into her hands. They were small, each slightly smaller than the size of her fist, and they were silvery-grey in color. They were perfectly spherical, with a small button on one side to release the clamp and let the pokemon out.

Of course, she had seen people use the capsules before. A magical crystal was built into the inside of each, specially made to harness the essence of a pokemon. The crystal bathed the pokemon in light, absorbing their essences for later use. When released, light emerges from the capsules, forming into the pokemon exactly as it was before. It was truly remarkable technology.

Cam wasted no time. "Come on," she breathed, pushing the button on one of her capsules to let the pokemon out. Silvery light poured from the capsule, forming into a pokemon that Cam had only ever read about.

A green creature with a bouquet of roses solidified in front of her. "Roh," it said, bowing to her and dipping its head. What appeared to be a crown of snow white hair, when viewed from above, turned out to be a large rose crowning its head. It stood up straight, looking around and blinking in the sunlight.

"Roserade," whispered Cam to herself. The rose pokemon stood just slightly shorter than she was, and looked healthy and ready to fight. She stuck her hand out towards the grass type, who looked at it incredulously. "I'm excited to be fighting with you," she said, nervous. The pokemon smiled, sticking out its bouquet, the flowers spreading apart to reveal a tiny green hand. Cam grinned as they shook hands.

"Well, let's check out the other one then," she said, fingers crossed that she would have a good type combination. She pressed the other button, letting out another flood of light.

This time, the light was expanding, until it swirled around to reveal a large white cloud. Cam furrowed her brow, confused, peering into the cloud. Suddenly, a large blue head popped out of the cloud, beak smiling. "Altaria!" it cried, announcing itself.

"Ah!" cried Cam, startled and tripping backwards. She fell on her backside, instantly embarrassed.

"Tair…" frowned Altaria, spreading its wings to envelope Cam. Instantly, the private felt at ease and… warm.

"A healer," she sighed, snuggling with the bird pokemon's soft cotton wings. It lifted its wing as she held on, helping her to her feet. Roserade looked on, smirking to itself.

Once Cam was back on her feet, she looked her duo over. "So… are you a girl?" she asked Roserade, who instantly got offended. He puffed out his chest, pounding it with one flowered hand.

"Okay okay, sorry sorry," Cam apologized to the clearly offended flower pokemon. Roserade nodded his head sharply, as if to say "you should be."

"Altair!" hummed Altaria, bobbing her head.

"You're the girl then?" Cam asked cautiously. She had been told that they would receive one male and one female pokemon to battle with, but she wanted to tread lightly, not offending her new pokemon in case they made a mistake.

But Altaria nodded, very excited. She spread her wings, showing off her impressive wing span. _I wonder if she can use fly,_ wondered Cam. Then, she frowned, realizing that she didn't know any of their moves.

 _Uh-oh._ She looked around, the first round of battles already well underway. She wouldn't be going until the second round, so she had some time to figure out her pokemon's moves, an advantage she wasn't going to waste.

"So… what kinds of moves can you use?" she asked, a bit skeptical. The two pokemon looked at her and blinked. "You know… fighting stuff?" They continued to stare. Cam sighed, frustrated. "Attacks!"

That word meant something to them, as they looked at each other, nodding. Altaria chirped and whistled loudly, bobbing her head as if to music. "You can… you can use sing?" Cam asked, feeling stupid. Altaria nodded, cawing. Then, she shook her body, giant pieces of cloudy cotton showering the ground around them. "And… cotton spore?" asked Cam. Another nod.

Roserade gestured up at the sky. "Er… rain dance?" Cam asked. The pokemon rolled his eyes, turning and pointing directly at the sun. "Oh! Sunny day!" He nodded, exacerbated.

"So… can you also use synthesis? And solarbeam?" asked Cam, applying her knowledge of moves that were better in the sunlight. Roserade nodded, feeling a bit better that she at least knew that much. "And probably something poison too, since that's part of your typing…" But Cam didn't have enough time to think. The battles were already wrapping up.

"Cameron Rokswing! Kyle Patterson!" Ulsyr called from afar, and Cam snapped her head around.

"Oh! Let's go!" She turned and began jogging towards the battlefield he was standing beside. Other students were filing out, going to watch their other friends battle. Cam took her place on the far end of the battlefield, kneeling to tie her shoe. Her pokemon stood beside her, nervous for what was to come.

Faust, Jake, and Taylor approached her from the side, each with smiles on their faces, and sweat on their brows. "Cam!" called Jake, and she turned, smiling when she saw him.

"Hey!" She stood, adjusting her shirt and pants with anxiety. "How did it go!"

"We all won," Taylor said smugly. "The first two matches are even, neither pokemon's type matchups giving an advantage or a disadvantage. You'll be fine."

"I hope so," Cam said, more to herself than anything. She peered around them. "Where are your pokemon?"

"Resting," said Faust. "They gave us potions to use, and then suggested we put them away until our next battles." He looked over at Cam's pokemon. "I guess you got skipped the first round?"

"Yeah," she said, watching the others walking around them returning their pokemon to their capsules. "There aren't enough fields for everyone to battle at once."

"Well good," said Jake, grinning. "Then we'll be here to watch you the whole time!"

Cam smiled, it was a relief to have her friends cheering her on. "What pokemon did you guys get?" she asked, curious, killing time as she waited for her battle to officially begin.

"Arbok and Houndoom," Faust said, flipping his hair out of his eyes, which were wide with excitement and adrenaline.

"Jolteon and Aggron," Taylor boasted.

"And I got Gardevoir and Kabutops," Jake finished. "The battles were all pushovers for us," he bragged. They each puffed their chests out.

"Sure," chided Cam, rolling her eyes. _Testosterone, ugh._

"This second round of battles is about to begin!" roared Ulsyr. People began frantically scrambling to their positions. Across from her, one of her peers, Kyle, stepped into his box.

"Good luck," Jake said, placing a hand on her shoulder in solidarity. She nodded, suppressing the need to blush. _He thinks I'm a boy,_ she reminded herself.

"The battles are double battles, for the sake of time," Ulsyr called to the battlers that he was overseeing. Pokemon began filing their way onto the field.

Cameron peered at Kyle's pokemon, which were taking their place opposite her own. He had a raichu, standing on the left side of the battlefield. For a moment, she was concerned, for Altaria was a flying type. But then she remembered that she was also a dragon type, and therefore nullified the electric advantage.

His other pokemon was a normal type; a persian. She breathed a small sigh of relief. _Maybe this will be as easy as they said._

Altaria and Roserade looked back at her, and she tried to smile towards them with confidence. It came out as little more than a nervous grin, and they began to look slightly worried.

 _That's not the way I want this to start out,_ she thought, panicked. She knew from class that pokemon can feel the demeanor of their trainer, and the trainer's attitude could significantly alter the outcome of a battle. "We can do this!" she called to them, trying to sound confident. She couldn't tell if it had changed anything, because right after she shouted to them…

"Let the battles begin!"


End file.
